Brownlee Reservoir

Brownlee Reservoir is the largest of three dams
in the Hells
Canyon Complex in Idaho.

The Brownlee Reservoir is located near the Midwestern Idaho and
southwestern Oregon borders. The reservoir is in the Snake River
canyon, in a hilly and semiarid region (Ebel & Koski, 1968). The
reservoir is also a ground for salmon spawning and used for
recreation and domestic water supply. The reservoir is
through-flowing, since it has a relatively short residence time
that varies from 15 to 70 days. The three major tributaries are
the Snake, Powder and Burnt Rivers. The reservoir has turnover
periods in the spring and in the fall.

Brownlee Reservoir --
This 57-mile long reservoir separating Idaho and Oregon was in
many experts opinion the best warm water fishery in the western
United States. That was back in the 1980s and early 1990s. The
Oregon State record smallmouth bass was caught at Hewitt Park in
1978. The current state record flathead catfish was caught in
Brownlee. In 1988 & 89 the Idaho fish and game and the Oregon
department of Fish and Wildlife in cooperation with Idaho Power
Co. took a creel census. That census showed that Brownlee produced
more fisherman hours than any other body of water in the state
with the exception of the ocean. The following fish species have
been reported to inhabit Brownlee: Smallmouth bass, largemouth
bass, bluegills, several species of bull heads, channel catfish,
blue catfish, flathead catfish, black crappie, white crappie,
sturgeon, red eared sunfish, pumpkinseed, rainbow trout, and more
recently brown trout and walleye.
If you have ever fished, want to fish or just want to relax on the
water, you will want to become a member of The Friends of
Brownlee. Our sole purpose is to provide a means for dedicated
people such as you to have a voice in the preservation and
maintenance of Brownlee, as we have known it in the past. Our goal
is to maintain a more consistent water level and to provide the
species that are all ready in the reservoir time to reproduce in
the spring, with constant water levels. This will provide better
fishing in years to come. With more constant water levels all
forms of recreation activities will benefit. The information above
was found on the FRIENDS OF BROWNLEE RESERVOIR website which is very
informative and it's good to see people caring about the great
fishery.

JB Guide Service fishes the the
mid Columbia River at the Hanford reach, Umatilla and McNary Dam, the
Tri-cities area, and John Day pool and the Snake River for Salmon,
Steelhead and Sturgeon. Call JB today to book a guided fishing trip
with one of the best fishing guides in these areas.

Snake River Fishing
Guides

Snake River

Clearwater River

Salmon

Steelhead

Sturgeon

Bass

Brownlee Reservoir

Brownlee Reservoir is the uppermost reservoir of
the Hells Canyon complex, which is a series of three Idaho Power
dams built on the Snake River to generate electricity. Brownlee
Reservoir is by far the largest, covering 15,000 acres. The
reservoir is long and narrow, featuring rocky steep shorelines.
Since the reservoir is the border between Oregon and Idaho, anglers
should note, that with a license in either state, they can use
facilities of either state to put in or take out boats, as long as
they do not fish from the shore, dock or a docked boat in the state
which they do not hold a license.

Brownlee Reservoir is among the most heavily
fished waters in Idaho. Healthy populations of warm water fish such
as smallmouth bass, catfish and crappie are especially popular.
Brownlee has produced four state record gamefish; the flathead and
bullhead catfish, and the white and black crappie. Perch, bluegill,
largemouth bass and stocked rainbow add to the diversity of this
fishery.

Southern end access to Brownlee Reservoir can be
made at Farewell Bend State Park, on the Oregon side, and Steck Park
near Weiser on the Idaho side. Spring Park Camp on the Oregon side
is nearly directly across from Steck Park. The north end of the
reservoir is best accessed through Cambridge, at Woodhead Park near
the dam. These areas have good to excellent dock and ramp facilities
for boaters and provide some shoreline access. Other shoreline
access is limited by rough terrain.

Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass is the premier fish of Brownlee. Best fishing is
from a boat and there are few fish that are more fun to catch. Look
for gravelbar areas and rocky outcroppings. Smallmouth are usually
found in less than 20 feet of water, larger fish tend to be found
deeper. Cast plugs, plastic grubs or worms, or lead-headed jigs and
retrieve in a jigging motion.

Largemouth Bass
Largemouth bass can be caught with the same methods, but likely will
be found in weedier shallows. They too should be actively fished
with a jigging or retrieving action.

Crappie
Crappie fishing is best in the spring and early summer. Skirted
lead-headed jigs, in a variety of colors are effective. Fish calm
inlets by casting jigs toward shore and retrieving. Try various
colors of jigs to see what is effective. Once you find them the
action can be quick.

Catfish
Catfishing has become very popular in Brownlee, especially in the
upper 1/3 of the reservoir. Best fishing is generally in the summer
and can be done effectively from shore. Catfish are scavenger fish,
so cubait, ripe chicken livers, or catfish stinkbait works best.
Bait should be still fished off the bottom. You will want to use a
medium weight rod with 10-12 lb. test line. These fish average 2-6
lbs., but much larger ones are not uncommon.

Perch
Another popular summer fishery is for perch. They can be caught from
boat or shore and once found, action can be fast. Most effective
baits will be worms or cutbait.

Trout
Rainbow trout are stocked as fingerlings in Brownlee in spring and
fall and grow in the reservoir to catchable size. They provide a
good winter fishery near the dam. They can be caught trolling with
rooster tails, spoons, or rapalas, or occasionally from shore by
still fishing with worms.

Bluegill
Bluegill are coming on in the lower 2/3 of the reservoir and are
reaching good size. They can be caught on a variety of tackles and
baits including lightly weighted hooks with worms, or jigs. Fly
fishing with spider poppers can be great fun.

Thanks to the Idaho Dept. Of Fish & Wildlife
for the above information about Brownlee Reservoir. This information
is fairly basic but subject to change so please check their official
website for more current information.

Official List of Idaho Record Fish

People who fish Brownlee Reservoir and nearby waters know this is a
good area to fish if you want to have a chance at breaking a state
record. Below are the Idaho state records for fish as of June 2004 according to Idaho Dept. Of Fish & Wildlife. The
following information was obtained from the Idaho F&G website. It
may be outdated so please
visit their website for current information.